R^x (title pending) Prologue: 00
by eyk003
Summary: The prologue that sets up the story for branching stories of Ranma and Ryouga. Doesn't have much in the way of revealing the story but its the standard prologue-ish fair, read this before reading the two branching series ^_^.


It was a beautiful day in Nerima. The birds were chirping happily, the sun was shining brightly and the pure white clouds floated lazily in the sky. A light breeze was afloat in the air and it rustled the raven black hair of Ranma Saotome, one of the main resident martial artist nutcases of Nerima. For this individual, there was but one thing marring the otherwise a perfect day.  
  
Kasumi had fallen down the stairs. While she wasn't injured seriously or anything, she was in no position to cook.  
  
Fortunately, Ranma had figured what this meant early enough to be able to make a quick escape before the vile miscreant Akane called food could be force fed into him. He had made a quick stop at Ucchan's for a quick fix of okonomiyaki and was now pleasantly full (which to normal people would have been along the lines of 'bursting at the seams'). That left one problem, however. Akane was sure to blow her top again, overreact, and punish him for running away from bland, tasteless (at best) and barely eatable slop. Ok, so it wasn't so toxic and it (usually) didn't squirm around anymore, but it was far cry from a delicious okonomiyaki that Ucchan could always whip up.  
  
The pig-tailed martial artist had thought that perhaps if he came home late enough, she'd have calmed down enough. Hence the leisurely strolling pace that he was taking, down on the street level. Besides, it was so damn peaceful today.  
  
"Ranma, prepare to die!" Ryouga apparently objected to Ranma having a peaceful day. The bandanna clad boy jumped out, of nowhere as usual, and kicked fiercely at Ranma. Or where he was a moment ago. The cement pavement cracked from the impact and Ryouga's foot left a nice impression of his foot in the middle of the cracks. "Ranma Saotome, today I shall finally defeat you and show Akane-san my true feelings!"  
  
Ranma cracked his knuckles idly, standing straight up on the fence that he had jumped onto. Well, at least this fight would help kill time. Now for the customary goading. Ryouga was much more interesting when he was at the height of his angst. "Bring it on, pig-boy!"  
  
= = = = =  
  
The gothic nerd commonly referred to as 'Gos' giggled psychotically as he carefully set up the last piece of the spell components out on the grass. Gos was no stranger to failure. His spells had never worked before, or if they had, never gone like he wanted it to. Fellow peers ignored him. Teachers ignored him. Heck, most animals, usually shy of human presence, ignored him. The masked bullies were the only ones who paid him any noteworthy attention and that was something that Gos could live without.  
  
Worst of all, his one true love, Akane Tendo ignored him.  
  
But no more. The quite withdrawn, weakling would be quiet and withdrawn no more if this spell worked (He would still be a weakling). And he had a feeling that it would work. A very good feeling indeed.  
  
Of course, Gos *had* ignored several cups in his house which had mysteriously come crashing down on the floor, the repeated chills up his spine, and all a bunch of those creepy looking cats with their tails up screeching at him.  
  
Oh sure, the bus had come a few minutes early, and Gos had to catch up to it, running at his full speed. The only seat left in the usually empty bus- line was in bad condition to say the least and Gos, the boy who always had dark bags under his eyes, had to stand.  
  
There was the matter of the road being blocked and him having to hike the rest of the way to the site that the book had told him was the most likely site for a spell completion. Then the large backpack that Gos could barely carry had spilled more than once on the way to the empty lot of grass on the top of the hill.  
  
But nothing, *nothing* would stop him from completing his task! Gos finally placed the last ingredient of the spell components in the middle of the circle of enchantment he had painstakingly drawn from the picture in the book.  
  
Oh, it was a good feeling indeed.  
  
= = = = =  
  
"Checking PhP-valves one through nine. Mini-cooling plants checked out and working properly. Increasing power input by 37 percent." The humming of the machinery was music to young 3352's ears as the engineer pressed various buttons and fiddled with various control levels. Machines were his life, bringing variety of different metals and non-metals and fitting them together, into complex and almost living beings. Fixing defective tools to make them stronger, better, more useful. It was his talent and his vocation. And he was *very* talented. So he had been recruited.  
  
The Human Agency Combine as they called it, had no barrier such as language, race, or culture. Thanks to a special system of interview, all members were extremely talented individuals working for the good of all human race, for unity, stability, and peace.  
  
By creating devices of such horrifying power that anyone *not* happy with unity, stability, and peace could be quieted quickly and easily.  
  
= = = = =  
  
"How dare you call me pig-boy, Ranma!" The eternally lost boy struck out at the fence, and the section of the fence Ranma was standing on came down with a small crash. The pig-tailed martial artist took to the air and came down with a flying axe kick, adding the downward momentum of his fall to the kick.  
  
Ranma was quick. The axe kick had been performed so that to the ordinary observer, a pedestrian walking home from grocery shopping, say, would merely see a blur and that only for the duration of their eye blinking.  
  
Ranma was strong. The kick, with the downward momentum, carried enough power in it to crack large boulders quite easily.  
  
We must give the credit to Ryouga then, for feeling only irritation and a little sting on his left shoulder as the kick connected from behind, and for retaliating quickly with a simple straight-forward lean-in punch. Ranma merely jumped back, barely enough for the punch to lose most of its power, then grabbed the arm, attempting to do a balance disrupting throw. Ryouga, using his enormous strength, merely wrenched it from Ranma's grip and went in with a snap kick. Alas, it was too slow.  
  
Ranma grinned as the lost boy took the quick three punch combo to the face with a grunt.  
  
"Slower than usual. Whatsa matter, porky?" Ryouga merely growled in response and charged again. This time, a sickly green glow surrounded the boy.  
  
= = = = =  
  
Akane wandered the streets of Nerima, hoping to find her perverted and wayward fiancé who had, like the insensitive jerk that he was, ran from tasting her cooking. Really, she worked so hard on it too! Now she had to go find Ranma and dish out righteous justice.  
  
There! Akane quickened her pace as she spotted the tell tale green aura of depression that Ryouga was giving off, mixed with the bright gold of Ranma's. Ranma must be picking on poor Ryouga again! With that the young Tendo began to sprint.  
  
= = = = =  
  
"GaM-PhP 665231 ready for a test drive in 30, 29, 28. . ." The voice from the speaker resonated through out the large underground weapons testing ground, the owner of the voice speaking from a section of the underground wall, safely shielded by the earth on all sides except one, and that one covered with thick shock-absorbing Dia-glass.  
  
". . .21, 20, 19. . ."  
  
The engineers, scientists, and security agents all smiled in anticipation.  
  
= = = = =  
  
Gos rubbed in hands in anticipation. Now for the final line of incantation!  
  
= = = = =  
  
". . .11, 10, 9, 8. . ."  
  
= = = = =  
  
"Shi Shi Hokoudan!" A beam of green light washed over towards Ranma.  
  
"Mouko Takabisha!" A beam of golden light erupted to counter it.  
  
= = = = =  
  
"-nd by my pledge I summon the power to fill this unworthy vassal of your-"  
  
= = = = =  
  
". . .0!"  
  
Boom.  
  
= = = = =  
  
Gosunkugi was startled out of his chant, just about to be finished, by a sudden rumbling underneath the ground. What the. . . an earthquake? His eyes grew large as several ceramic jars and lit candles fell out of arrangement. No! Not now, he was almost finished, he was so clo-  
  
His thoughts ended abruptly as one of his jars jumped up violently and hit him squarely in the forehead.  
  
Too bad that he wasn't awake to witness his 'altar' shoot out a thick beam of red light.  
  
= = = = =  
  
Akane triumphantly turned the last street corner, ready to dish out well- earned malletings to Ranma. The beam of red light that dropped from the sky made her stop before she could reach her fiancé, though.  
  
Chi met Chi and then the red light washed over the two combatants.  
  
A frightening boom, not unlike thunder, rang out from the point of impact, and threw Akane back a few meters. Akane picked herself up slowly, groaning. Her ears kept ringing. The dust settled slowly, but when it did, the youngest Tendo's eyes widened slightly with conern at the sight before her.  
  
"Ranma! Ryouga!" 


End file.
